Summer Plants & Flowers in Far Northeast Georgia

Photographer Nada Powers Bunnell and I took a road trip into Rabun and Habersham counties yesterday. Lakemont Village was our specific destination, but we also drove through Tiger (another friend once co-owned an herb farm there), Batesville (stopped at The Mark of the Potter), and Clarkesville (where I bought a few pieces of yard art at the Clarkesville Corner Market). The flora along the way was too lovely to keep for myself, so here you can enjoy it also!

The dog was friendly, the chairs were uncomfortable, and the little blue birds were merrily chirping away!

Not everything bloomed . . . . .

. . . . . but a lot did, including a gorgeous Crape Myrtle:

And a bank of Cleome deserved a picture:



Cleome - Third Time's the Charm

After my first two efforts to have Cleome in my landscape ended in failure, I swore I would not give this plant another chance. But, Miriam Park Gruwell convinced me otherwise, so here we are again - and so far, so good! Seed pods are already forming and I am going to collect the seeds for next year. If that works, Cleome may become a permanent feature in my garden. Who knew? I may have to amend my habit of giving a plant two chances in my garden, but not a third.

Cleome, also called Spider Flower, attracts hummingbirds and is a tough plant that, I have been told, tolerates hot, dry weather (but I am suspicious that it was the drought of 2007 and 2008 that led to the failures I experienced) - of which we have had plenty since early June. This year, outdoor watering restrictions have been relaxed, and that, perhaps, has done the trick for the Cleome in my garden!